Alice Sebold

For me, heaven would be a lack of alienation. The whole time I was growing up, I felt comfort was inherently evil. I think that, for me, heaven isn't about couches and milk shakes and never having a troubling thought again. ”

To me, the idea of heaven would give you certain pleasures, certain joys - but it's very important to have an intellectual understanding of why you want those things. ”

I think understanding is the way to gain perspective - and therefore can live among those hideous realities. You can live with them. ”

I like gardening - it's a place where I find myself when I need to lose myself. ”

I'd like to go back to poetry again. I really, really revere good poetry. It's been my private discipline. ”

I have always felt extremely weird. But I am very happy with my weirdnesses, and I want other people to be very happy with theirs. ”

I always had that sense of being censored for the things that I thought. Why is it wrong to embroider your pants, or paint with acrylics on your clothing? Why is that weird? Isn't it weirder to want to be like everyone else? ”

The relationship with the words someone uses is more intimate and integrated than just a quick read and a blurb can ever be. This intimacy - the words on the page being sent back and forth from engaged editor to open author - is unique in my experience. ”

We all work hard to understand the dynamic relationship we have with a parent. ”

I was motivated to write about violence because I believe it's not unusual. I see it as just a part of life, and I think we get in trouble when we separate people who've experienced it from those who haven't. ”